C. W. W. Kannangara

Christopher William Wijekoon Kannangara was born on 13 October 1884, at Wee Badu Walawwa (his maternal ancestral home) in the village of Wewala, off Hikkaduwa (වී බදු වලව්ව, වෑවල, හික්කඩුව) in the Southern Province of Ceylon. It has been inaccurately quoted that Kannangara was born in Randombe, (off Ambalangoda). He was the son of John Daniel Wijekoon Kannangara, the Deputy Fiscal in the Police Magistrate's Court in Balapitiya, and Emily Wijesinghe, daughter of Mudliyer Wijesinghe; he also had four siblings. Emily passed away early in Kannangara's childhood, John Daniel would and have four more children with his second wife. ==Education==

Kannangara received his primary education at the free Wesleyan Missionary School, and his achievements were brought to the attention of the Rev. J.H. Darrel, Principal of Richmond College, Galle, who was visiting during a prize-giving ceremony. Having noticed that most of the prizes were won by Kananga, he is said to have remarked, "Son, you may have to hire a bullock cart to take home the books you collected at this prize giving." Darrel also gave Kannangara a chance to sit for a Richmond College Foundation scholarship exam. Excelling in Mathematics in the exam, he won the scholarship, receiving an award for free board and lodging at Richmond College. There he would receive education from an elite school of the time, far superior to that offered at his school. He also captained Richmond College in first eleven cricket in 1903, and was a member of the school soccer team the same year, winning colours for his performances. He was also regarded as a fine debater and actor. ==Early career==

After completing his schooling at Richmond College, he joined its teaching staff as a mathematics teacher and thereafter went on to teach mathematics at Prince of Wales' College, Moratuwa and at Wesley College, Colombo. ==Political career==

in 1923, thrusting him into the very heart of national politics. He was elected to the State Council in 1931 and again in 1936. Kannangara joined Anagarika Dharmapala's historically significant temperance movement, and worked actively with its leaders, including Sir D.B. Jayatilleke, D.S. Senanayake, F.R. Senanayake and Arthur V. Dias. In 1911, elections were held for the first time to elect an Educated Ceylonese to the Legislative Council of Ceylon. The two primary contests were Ponnambalam Ramanathan and Marcus Fernando. Strongly supporting Ramanathan, Kannangara was elected Honorary Secretary of the committee supporting Ramanathan in the Southern Province. Ramanathan was elected to the Legislative Council over Fernando. He gained popularity for his work legal work in the defense of the leaders of the Sri Lankan independence movement and others who were persecuted by the colonial British administration during the period of martial law which following the Riots of 1915. In the following elections in 1917, Kannangara once again supported Ramanathan against J.S. Jayawardena. That year, Kannangara had formed the first political association in Galle, the Galle National Association. He thereafter joined the Ceylon National Congress. ==Legislative Council==

His kinsman and Legislative Council member for the Southern Province O. C. Tillekeratne died on 13 April 1923 in a fatal train accident at the Wellawatte station. Kannangara stood for the vacant seat in a by-election that was held on 23 May 1923 and was elected to the Legislative Council with 1,969 votes; compared to his opponent David de Silva's 115 votes, he had a majority of 1,854. He would be reelected in 1924 with 4,177 votes, the other candidate Francis de Zoysa having gotten 2,310. ==State Council==

In 1931, he was elected President of the Ceylon National Congress. Kannangara was appointed as the first chairman of the Executive Committee of Education in the State Council and thus became the first Minister of Education of Ceylon in 1931. The final report of the Executive Committee of Education was published in 1943, with the inclusion of important recommendations initiated by A. Ratnayake, P. de S. Kularatne, S. Natesan and T. B. Jayah, that were initially opposed by Kannangara; Kannangara spoke for six and a half hours to convince other members of the council to vote for the bill, and was supported in his efforts by H. W. Amarasuriya, Dudley Senanayake, J. R. Jayewardene, Sir Oliver Goonetilleke, Dr. N. M. Perera and others. There was also a public campaign launched by E. W. Adikaram, G.P. Malalasekera and L. H. Metthananda to support the bill, which was eventually passed by the State Council in July 1945. ==Post Independence==

His achievements in the State Council in the field of Education did not however translate to popularity among the people of his electorate, and he lost his seat in parliament in the General Elections of 1947. He was defeated in the poll for the Matugama electorate by Wilmot A. Perera, the founder of the popular local school Sri Palee College. A statue of C. W. W. Kannangara has been erected at the Parakramabahu Central College in Polgahawela. A new book under the title 'No Pearl of Greater Price' being a biography of C.W.W Kannangara written by the erudite Buddhist Scholar Dr. Ananda Guruge was released on 28 December 2013 at a public meeting held at the All Ceylon Buddhist Congress Auditorium ==Family==

He married Edith Weerasooria, daughter of Gate Mudliyar James Charles Weerasooria, Mudliyar of the Kandy Kachcheri and the aunt of N.E.Weerasooria, QC of Lake Cottage, Kandy on 4 December 1922. They had two children, a son Dr. Chithraranjan Swarajweera Wijekoon Kannangara, a Consultant Gynecologist and a daughter Kusumawathi Wijekoon Senevirathne -nee Kannangara. ==Summary==

C.W.W. Kannangara, known as the father of free education in Sri Lanka, played a pivotal role in transforming the country's education system. Born in 1894 in a small village in Ambalangoda, he faced numerous challenges in his early life, which fueled his determination to ensure that others would not suffer the same educational disadvantages. A brilliant student himself, Kannangara excelled in his studies and later became a dedicated educator and politician, committed to the cause of education. Kannangara introduced the Free Education Bill in 1944, a groundbreaking initiative that aimed to provide accessible education to all children regardless of their socio-economic background. This bill was a radical departure from the existing system, which largely favored the wealthy and urban populations. His visionary reforms included establishing central schools, which offered quality education to rural areas, and providing scholarships to talented students, thereby promoting educational equity and opportunity. These central schools were strategically placed to serve the educational needs of rural children who otherwise had limited access to quality education. In addition to these significant measures, Kannangara also advocated for a curriculum that was relevant and comprehensive, ensuring that students received a well-rounded education. He believed that education should not only be about academic learning but also about character building and equipping students with the skills needed for life. C.W.W. Kannangara's efforts have left an impact on Sri Lanka. ==See also==